The Tale of Two Emails...

After having gone through one of the most difficult ordeals of my life and ministry career, I have had a little bit of time to evaluate the experience. For me, it is best explained in two different emails that I received. Honestly, I am not entirely sure of how many emails I received about the events related to the protests of our church and my message on homosexuality, but I know for a fact it was well over 2,000 emails.

One of those emails was by far the worst thing I have ever read in my whole life. And I am not referring to the threatening emails I received. This particular email finds itself in a place of infamy for me. If there ever was a way to convert fecal matter into text form, I believe the author of this email had discovered how to do it.

I cannot share with you the content of the email because not only is it pornographic in nature (and, by the way, I received several emails that were nothing but pornographic images of homosexual sex) but it was the most vile filth I have ever even heard of. Honestly, I should not be, but I was really surprised at the depths of depravity that were in this message that had one intent...to hurt and shock me.

You see that email represented the vast majority of the hate messages I have received for speaking out against homosexuality. What happened was the bully in the school yard wanted to take my lunch money. But the best thing you can do with a bully is to face him head on.

The homosexual activists decided that they wanted to intimidate and punish me. They wanted to make an example of me so that there would not be another preacher in the state (and country perhaps) that would ever dare speak out against homosexuality in a public way again. So I received threats, vitriol and a barrage of angry hate messages that were literally overwhelming.

Another email I received was from a young man who took pains to articulately describe his life-long struggle with homosexuality. He described how nothing ever quite seemed right unless he found himself in the embrace of another man. But he knew always that it was wrong.

He told me that he had given up hope of ever being able to quit the homosexual lifestyle until only a couple weeks ago. He had began to feel like the Lord was literally calling him out of this lifestyle. He shared that he knew God was urging him to turn his back on homosexuality...but he was still waffling with the decision.

He said one evening that he was watching the evening news when he saw a story about a local church that had caused a stir because of the sign message. Then he saw the picture of the sign that said: Gay is not okay. He wrote me these words, "Pastor, if no one else tells you this, I want you to know that your sign helped me to know that I was supposed to leave this life of sin. Gay is not okay. God wants me to live for Him and not for me anymore."

I have to tell you, church, I would do it all over again for this one dear soul! Every hate-filled message I received, everything that the protesters intended for my detriment, God used to reach this precious soul! To God be the glory in all things!